Carla Hall's Chocolate Pecan Pie 11.18.11

OK, if you saw the episode (well, actually, if you read the title of this post), right away you noticed that either I have giant chocolate chips and giant pecans OR I made chocolate pecan tarts instead of a pie.

Because... well, portion control.  I LOVE a pecan pie.  Never had it with this much chocolate mixed in, but I was sure I was going to love it.  But it is awfully fattening.  Making them this size, I was able to control the size and as long as I have the will power to only eat one, well...moderation.  Since each little tart is about 3 good size bites, I even didn't feel too guilty when i had a little bit of pumpkin pie along side.

And besides, they photograph so nicely...

And, besides the size, I made an additional change that you probably saw in the first photo in the above series... Bourbon in place of vanilla.  First, the alcohol does cook out, leaving a deep rich earthy taste behind. Besides pure vanilla extract is actually mostly alcohol anyway.  In a pecan pie, I just like Maker's mark in place of vanilla.  Just one more layer of flavor.

Alright, first up is a pie crust recipe.  I am constantly on the look out for a new pie crust recipe.  I have tried several, but never could quite get one as good as my Mother-in-Law's.  So, I phoned her and tried hers for the first time.

Lard.    Shhh it's the secret ingredient that only grandmother's know.

So, My Mother-inLaw's Pie Crust recipe first...

Makes 2 pie crust, or one to freeze for later and one to cut into 6 tart size...

3 cups Flour

1 cup Lard

1 tsp Salt

Mix until crumbly.  Then mix together ...

1/4 cup Water 

1 Egg

1 tsp Vinegar

Combine, Divide and roll out, generously flour as you roll out.

OK, as I said, I was making tarts... tartlettes if you will.  SO I rolled one of the crusts out pretty thin.  I then took a large fluted edged round cookie cutter and made six circles.  I sprayed a muffin tin generously and placed the circles in the bottom of the tins.  This made a cup shape about 3/4 inch tall.

OK, in the recipe (that you can see on The Chew's website by clicking HERE), Carla made a pie.  I cut the recipe in half, had more than enough to make 6 tarts.  I also glazed the bottom with egg whites.

So, here's what I did.  The measurements are @1/2 what Carla used (But you should check her recipe if you are making pies)...

1/2 cup Corn Syrup (I only had white on hand, she advises dark)
1 TBS Butter softened to room temperature
1 tsp Corn Starch
1tsp Bourbon
1/2 cups Pecans, chopped
1/4 cup Whole Pecans for decoration
pinch of Salt
1/4 cup Sugar
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp White Vinegar
1/4 cup Dark Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 375

• Cream Butter and Sugar
• Add Beaten Eggs 
• Add Cornstarch, Salt, Bourbon, Vinegar and Corn Syrup, and now you have the pie filling
• sprinkle a single layer of chocolate chips
• sprinkle the pecan pieces
• add the pie filling
• Bake on center rack for 30 minutes
• Add the garnish whole pecans
• Return to the oven until center of filling reaches 200 degrees

And the verdict is that these were PERFECT!  An adult pie, let the kids have the pumpkin and cakes and sweets.  Rich, earthy,nutty taste.  Just a hint of the Bourbon and a very unique taste with the chocolate added!

LOVE THIS!

Carla Hall's Choco-holic Whoopie Pies 11.7.11

Makin' Whoopie!  I guess I am too old, but I would have thought Bob Eubanks and the Newlywed Game would pop up somewhere in todays' episode.  But nope.

What did pop up was some really terrific chocolate recipes.

From a gourmet Chocolate chip cookie to Clinton's Pot de Cream to guest Michael Irvine's Fried Bananas with Lavender Honey and chocolate drizzle, today had so many delicious sounding items that I wanted to try.

But some days you make decisions based on budgets (I had all the ingredients in my pantry, no need to shop) and I saw a hole in my cooking repertoire.  Whoopie pies have been the darling of the food blog world for a bit.  Seems everyone is giving them a go.  Except me.  But not now.

Just think two chocolate cupcake tops, filled with a white chocolate/mascarpone filling.

And think delicious!  Slight crispness on the outside of the cookie, but with a cakey texture inside.  The white chocolate, blended with the Italian cream cheese makes for a perfect combination of creamy sweetness.

I do have a flaw in my photography, there is no reference point for size.  the plate in the photos is about the size of a 5X7 photo.  So the cookies are no more than 2 inches wide.  Meaning these are great little 2-3 bite gems.  As Daphne pointed out, just the right size for portion control diets (I am trying to drop 5 pounds before Thanksgiving so I can gain 6 in December).

On The Chew website, there is a video showing how Carla made these.  If you have never used a piping bag before, it would not hurt to take a look at the visual How-To.  Click HERE for the video link.

And for the recipe, The Chew website also has the full recipe posted... again, Click HERE.  BUT, I read over the comments on the page and noticed that several people were having trouble viewing the recipe instructions.  They are not hard at all, and risking copyright infringement, here's my very brief how-to interpretation.  BTW, I cut the recipe in half.  You will see the recipe doubled on the site... another desperate attempt at portion control...

1 cup AP Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 stick Butter (Softened to room temp)
1/2 cup Milk
1 cup Powdered Sugar
1/2 cup Mascarpone (I actually used Almond Paste)
1/4 cup unsweetened Cocoa
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 cup Sugar
1 Egg
another 1/2 stick Butter (softened)
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1/4 cup melted White Chocolate

Preheat oven to 425, line baking pan with parchment paper

To Make the cakes...
Whisk Flour, Cocoa, Baking Soda and salt in medium bowl
In a stand mixer, cream the first 1/2 stick  butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add the egg and milk and mix until fully incorporated.  Slow the beating blade down and slowly add the flour mixture.

Use a half tsp measure and drop the cookie dough onto the parchment paper leaving a space between each (they expand).  Bake for 5-7 minutes.  the top will have a crisp shell and the insides will make them springy to the touch

For the filling...
Beat the butter and the powdered sugar together.  Add the vanilla and mascarpone cheese and mix.  Finally add the white chocolate.

When the cookies have cooled, match the sizes so you have 2 about the same size, use a piping bag and fast as you can say, :Bob's your Uncle"... you have a delicious little taste treat!

Carla Hall's Pumpkin Beignet with Caramel Dipping Sauce 10.10.11

OK... Right off the bat, I cheated.

During the show, Carla specifically says to NOT use canned pumpkin.  BUT, this was just after she had said that once you have the batter, you can add anything to it.  Well, I have a cooking pumpkin, but I have a soup planned for it.  But I did have a can of pumpkin (not a can of Pumpkin Pie mix, that is pumpkin with spices added).  Well, I chose to ignore Carla and listen to Carla.  I used canned pumpkin since she said I could add anything.

Since I added the pumpkin from the can, there was no way to extract the water.  When I made the batter as directed, I was liquid heavy.  So, I just added some flour until I thought I had the right consistency.

And next, I moved to her recipe for Caramel sauce.

HMMMMMM....

This was not covered in the episode.  It was just glossed over.  I did see her take the hot pan and have the tasters dip the beignets into a sauce, which I assume is this.

Well, I followed the directions and while hot in the pan, it was indeed PERFECT.  Dipped great, or worked well as a drizzle.  BUT, when it cooled, it was a ROCK.  I mean a solid as a well... rock, ROCK.  It is implied it could be saved and used as a hostess gift.  Well, not mine.  I have no idea what I did wrong, and in fact, it would not really be called a failure since if I used the sauce as Carla had on the show, serving right from the pan, hot, it was perfect.  But once it cooled, I was done with the left overs.

There was a bit of a funny moment on the show that should I ever be invited to produce, I would fix...  Daphne Oz mentioned that she had never been to New Orleans... I smell a road trip!

New Orleans is one of my favorite cities.  In fact, as a foodie it is by far my favorite city.  So much history, so many amazing restaurants at great prices (easily half what NYC restaurants charge).  It is also one of the few cities in America that has it's own unique cuisine.

Which brings us back to these beignets...

Made famous by Cafe du Monde in the heart of the French Quarter, these French doughnuts are a "must Have" for anyone visiting the city.  I have made these in the past, but have never made a flavored one... Like this.

Oh my were these terrific.  The pumpkin and apple shine through the dough and they are simply delicious.  Personally, when i make these again, I will skip the caramel.  They had a wonderful flavor on their own.  The powdered sugar made these plenty sweet and just no need for the dipping sauce.

So, with the two changes I made (extra flour because I used the more wet pumpkin from the can), I followed the recipe as posted on The Chew website... Click HERE.

The beignets came out WONDERFUL.  Just enough pumpkin color and taste, just enough apple to make these a delight.  Certainly a more adult taste; but with the powdered sugar added, it becomes a family taste treat.

BTW, this recipe was part of a "cook off" between this and a bacon/bourbon banana split made by Michael Symon.  There was a panel of audience tasters that chose the beignets over the more convoluted recipe that Michael provided.  His recipe was fine, and who doesn't love bacon, but sure seemed too much effort for a dessert.

My vote is for this new twist on a New Orleans classic!